Vacation Rental Cuisine – Completing a holiday in the BVI

Keeping a Taste of the BVI

With the high season on the cusp of commencing, snowbirds and tourists will be flying in to enjoy the wondrous holiday making of the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Villa rental properties and resorts will be taking reservations for exciting vacations and long-stay visits with guests seeking the great rejuvenating effects of the islands – from the exhilarating watersports to great sailing adventures, to the simple pleasure of soothing relaxation on white sand beaches.

There is another aspect that the BVI is renowned for among its residents and tourists – the exquisite gourmet cuisine on offer. There is a host of restaurants and yacht clubs, providing dishes that receive such an incredible response, individuals and families will return to those specific establishments for that exclusive fact.

Many of the stunning BVI villa rentals will bestow the same brilliant service of phenomenal cuisine and in light of the high season and a warm welcome, or in many cases return greeting to many tourists, Taste the BVI cookbook, grants all the opportunity to take a little piece of the BVI with them.

Standing as a compilation of great chefs from fantastic locales all over the BVI, the hardcover book is a testament to the gratifying standard of fare, that residents and visitors are privy to in our tropical abode. Golden Pavilion Villa (GPV) is an example of an exquisite property that amid its many fantastic features, provides a wealthy and healthy diningexperience. In Taste, Chef Kate Purdy of GPV presents her recipe for Mahi Napoleon with Rasta Rice and Tomato Basil Vinaigrette.

Talking to Kate, who worked as both a chef and manager at GPV and recognises the unique quality of offering good cuisine in a vacation rental, she said “I came up with the recipe after amalgamating several ideas—Rastafarian rice, seared Mahi stacked with tortillas or wontons—all taken from other dishes I had cooked about five years ago and it’s very popular with guests.”

Like many of the courses featured in the book, the dish is aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, it’s followed with a taste that surpasses its appearance. “The recipe uses easily available local ingredients and is fairly simple to make with a lot of wow factor for serving,” said Kate. ”I always say people eat with their eyes first, so if it looks good, people are already impressed before they have taken their first bite.”

As Kate understands, food service is an extremely important ingredient in the recipe for a satisfying vacation. “Great food is a priority at a rental villa that has a chef,” she said. “People will return for the food and the service yearafter year. They know that they are going to be spoiled, eat excellent food and return as friends. Our guests rarely ate out despite being encouraged to.”

In acknowledgement of the importance of cuisine and the dining experience for tourists, Kate went on to explain, “Full chef services have always been part of the experience at GPV. It’s what sets us apart from the other rental villas on Tortola.”

Taste is a great gift for the visitors that stay in the BVI, but also for those who have not experienced the islands and perhaps require an incentive to visit the region. For the tourists that have enjoyed this Caribbean experience, Kate relayed her own recent story of what it was like to have a vacation of this nature.

“One thing I will say about…staying at an establishment with personal chef services, is I always knew in my head that it was a wonderful, stress-free and luxurious way to vacation, but I was lucky enough to experience it myself this summer for the first time,” she said with respect to the significance of fare and service to a holiday. “After having cooked for other people for 14 years, it was all that I expected and more,” the chef continued.

“The sense of relaxation and lack of cares or responsibility, and the feeling of being pampered by having a chef were just wonderful. I knew it was going to be great, but I didn’t realise how good it was going to be until I did it myself. Now I want to do it again.”

What Taste offers avid cooks who have enjoyed their vacation in the BVI, is a chance for their senses to reconnect with their incredible time here and as Kate concluded “…Taste is a beautiful book and a wonderful souvenir of a stay here.”

tastebvi.com